Dry Dredgers Member Activites: A Fossil Blog

In this post, I will share some of my whale finds from the late Oligocene Chandler Bridge formation from the Summerville, SC area (Chattian age – 27.5 Ma). The Chandler Bridge along with the underlying Ashley formation (Rupelian age – 29.2 Ma) make up the richest deposit of Oligocene marine vertebrates ever described. As I noted in my previous post, this fauna includes (in addition to the fantastic cetaceans) birds, crocodilians, turtles, sirenians, fishes, and an abundance of the teeth and dermal denticles of sharks and rays.

At least five different genera of odontocetes have been described from these beds, including a new species of the very primitive genus Xenorophus, a new species of Squalodon, and 3 totally new genera. I am still waiting to get the published descriptions of these new genera. In all, between the Chandler Bridge and the Ashley formation, 25 new species of cetaceans have been described from South Carolina. Besides the odontocetes, there have also been 3 new species of mysticetes (suborder Mysticeti), and at least 2 new species of archeocetes (extinct suborder Archeoceti). The previous latest known occurrence of archeocetes was from the mid to late Rupelian (middle Oligocene).

In the attached photos you can see various elements of the post cranial skeleton of some of the “primitive” Oligocene toothed whales (suborder Odontoceti, super-family Squalodontoidea) from the ChB. Most all of my skull material was donated to the Charleston Museum for their research into these animals, especially involving cranial “telescoping” (the movement of the nasal openings to the apex of the skull) and how it relates to the evolution of the odontocetes. The Oligocene is widely regarded as the period when these “primitive” whales were completing their evolution into the ‘modern’ forms of today. The sheer number and the excellent preservation of the ChB whales are allowing scientists to witness this evolution as it occurred in the mid and late Oligocene.

The first photo includes a section of the left mandible, two specimens of the tympanic bullae (back of picture), a beautiful and complete atlas vertebra, a cervical vertebra, 3 thoracic vertebrae and 2 rib sections. The second photo is a close-up of the cervical. The next photo shows some of the lower vertebrae. Photo 4 shows a close-up of one of these vertebrae which I removed from in situ in bed 2, with the neural arch (for the spinal cord) and the wing-like transverse processes still intact. Photo 5 is a group of loose teeth I have found over the years. Photo 6 is a close-up of the mandible fragment with 2 of the double-rooted molars still in place. Photos 7 & 8 are molars. Photo 9 is a pre-molar, and

Sammy Peek

Welcome to my blog. I joined the Dry Dredgers soon after moving to Pickerington, Ohio from coastal South Carolina in 2014. I am a past member of the Summerville (SC) Fossil Club, The Paleontological Research Institute and the South Carolina Shell Club. I worked for 15 years as a volunteer in the fossil and seashell collections of the Charleston Museum. I am a certified PADI Divemaster, and have collected quite a bit in the black water rivers of the South Carolina low-country. I also have a pretty nice collection of land and quarry collected fossils (primarily Pleistocene, Pliocene and Oligocene age) from all around SC, NC and FL. My main interests are invertebrates, but I collect just about everything. I have really enjoyed visiting some of the fossil sites in southwest OH and southeast IN for their Brachiopods, Mollusks, Corals, Bryozoa, and the occasional Trilobites and Crinoids. I will be sharing pictures and stories of the fossils I have collected in South Carolina as well as my new discoveries here in OH.

2 thoughts on “Fossil Hunting in Summerville, SC: Part 2”

Hello Sammy,
I am trying to take my (6 year old) son who is obsessed with sharks to find some really awesome teeth. We have been trying to find a good area to search along the Chandler Bridge Creek, yet no such luck. Is there any tips or advice you would be willing to share? Thank you!

Hi Sammy,
I will be taking a day trip to Summerville tomorrow. I have read several of your previous blog posts and I’m fascinated! My husband and I live in the Brunswick/St. Simon’s Island area in Ga. We used to dig on a land site created from dredging for the local port. We have found hundreds of teeth there and even some megs. Unfortunately, that site has been closed down. Since that time we have been searching for new areas to hunt. This is how I discovered your blog. I have read some info regarding the Summerville area and it seems worth the trip. If you are willing to provide any info on location (s) to hunt or someone local to Summerville to talk to I would greatly appreciate it.

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